The use of computer graphics systems and software for computer graphics systems, particularly such systems and software adapted for the generation and rendering of three-dimensional images, continues to grow at an explosive rate, as demand from the motion picture industry and others increases.
Users of software for the realistic rendering of three-dimensional images demand the highest possible realism in the resulting images. Yet the modeling tools at their disposal tend to create model objects with an unrealistic mathematical precision, where every edge is completely sharp and angular. Edges in the “real world” are typically rounded or worn, if ever so slightly.
One solution to this problem has been to explicitly model these roundings as chamfers or fillets in the actual 3D model. Although this approach results in more natural looking edges, it also causes higher complexity, i.e., an increase in polygon count, and a much more complex model.
It would be desirable to provide methods and systems capable of rendering more realistic three-dimensional images, with the appearance of rounded corners or filleted edges, without significant increases in process complexity or storage requirements.